Good Afternoon Family,
I am looking for answers from only current or previous users o HOOSIER R7 Tires. Please - no responses from "he said, she said" or "I had a friend who had them". I am looking for real data only. I currently have MT ET SS Drags 335/25/20 factory size rears. Most of us know they quit producing these years ago. I am on my 3rd set, love them to death, and believe I tracked down and got the last set from Canada but feel like I will not get lucky again. I do AutoX, Drag race, and daily drive mine (when not raining - but do get caught in the rain all the time). I know MT or Hoosiers will NEVER be meant for the best daily driving scenario or wear. Here is my question: Who utilizes the R7's on their Z06 all the time or has driven extensively on these in the streets. I drive in town mostly with a few 2 hour trips for car shows monthly. I drag race about twice a month and AutoX about every other month. Input would be great for DAILY DRIVING (except complete **** weather). I have had no issues with my MT's for 3 years due to not driving like a idiot in the rain. These advertise as competition, AutoX tires - so please do not tell me they cannot be driven on the road. If they can cut a corner at 100 MPH, then surely turning the block at 15MPH will not be detrimental. thanks in advance

 

I include for your consideration some quotes from the Hoosier Tire Racing Tire Care and Safety Pamphlet that comes with the A7 and R7 tires and then add some comments:

NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE: All Hoosier Racing Tires including DOT labeled Hoosier Racing Tires are designed for competition purposes only on specified racing surfaces and are not to be operated on public roadways. DOT labeled Hoosier Racing Tires meet Department Of Transportation requirements for marking and performance only and are NOT INTENDED FOR HIGHWAY USE. It is unsafe to operate any Hoosier Racing Tire including DOT tires on public roads. The prohibited use of Hoosier Racing Tires on public roadways may result in loss of traction, unexpected loss of vehicle control, or sudden loss of tire pressure, resulting in a vehicle crash and SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.

Freeze Crack Advisory: This advisory addresses proper storage and use of Hoosier tires in cold conditions. Hoosier Tires, especially asphalt and hard compound tires, may experience Rubber Cracking if the tires are transported, crushed, flexed or stressed when frozen. The following guidelines are provided to avoid this problem. 1. Always store Hoosier Racing Tires indoors at temperatures above 32˚ F. 2. If tires have been subject to 32˚ F or less, allow them to warm to room temperature (about 70˚ F) for a minimum of 24 hrs before the tire is mounted, transported or flexed. 3. Always use spare tires not intended for future competition to store vehicles for prolonged periods of time or winter transport. 4. If below freezing temperatures are expected, please consider shipping tires once more favorable conditions exist. Do not use tires that have evidence of Freeze Crack Damage.

Tire Temperature Recommendations For best performance the expected temperature range will vary from track to track. Generally, optimum traction will be generated when the pit lane temps show 180-200 degrees for the R7 in Roadrace applications, and 110-140 degrees for the A7 in an Autocross application.

Now that is out of the way. The A7 is a great autocross tire and also is used quite a bit in road racing where events run about a half hour in length. I have used both on a road course and liked both. You can use the R7 in an autocross but it has a higher operating temperature than the A7 so may not have as much traction on the first lap of a course. One lap courses or short courses you are definitely better using the A7 which has an operating temp of about 135 degrees. I don't believe either one makes a good drag racing tire as their side walls aren't designed to absorb the shock of a launch. You will break them loose. I also believe the typical drag race burnout would easily take the tires beyond the 200 degree maximum temp for maximum grip. If the tires are smoking they are too hot drag race tires may be fine doing that but road race tires aren't meant to be spun until they start smoking. I can pull into pit lane and have my tire temps measured at 200 degrees and they aren't even close to smoking.

On top of that the grip lifetime of the tires is measured in heat cycles. A heat cycle is counted when the tire comes up to temperature and cools down. Hoosiers lose a lot of their grip after 9 or 10 heat cycles. On a road course lets say that is 10 20 minute sessions. They will have a reasonable grip for track events for another 10 heat cycles. After that they may get a little greasy even though they might have a fair amount of rubber left.

Some more info from the pamphlet:

These tires are molded to their designed tread depth. They do not require shaving to be prepared for competition use. Due to extremely light construction, Hoosier tires have a much lower polar moment of inertia than other radial tires. This translates to a very low rotational mass, which is a good thing for performance applications. The down side to this feature is that the tires do not resist “spikes” in braking force as well as a heavier tire might. As a result, there is a tendency for drivers to “flatspot” a tire the first time really getting to the limit. Vehicles equipped with ABS will benefit from its use. If you do not use ABS it is recommended that you make an effort to minimize stabbing the brakes until you have some experience with the feel of the tire under hard braking. The light construction also provides less protection from impact damage and punctures. Off course excursions or running over debris on the track will likely result in tire damage. Once some wear has occurred it may be desirable to flip the tire on the wheel in order to even out the wear and maximize tire life.

I suspect the lighter weight of the tire will also make it more likely to spin during a launch.

Bill

 

I have used both on AutoX and Roadcourse.

I do put them on and drive to the track on the highway which is about 25miles away. Not ideal but it is fine, certainly not dangerous. That said I would never daily driver them, too expensive and would wear out way too fast. I done even like the fact that I put them on and drive the 25miles to the track honestly.

If you have to daily on them, which I would not recommend, I would certainly get the R7's as they will wear much longer. A7's would wear out really quick as a daily.

In general R7's for roadcourse and A7's for AutoX. That said either can be used well and visa versa. If you have endless money then get A7's for both. Lots of guys only use A7's on roadcourses and will turn better times, but you could toast a set in a weekend. R7's will just last longer but turn lower times in nearly any arena.

Hope that helps.